And then
by naughtyspirit
Summary: Post Season 4 - Rose and the Human Doctor are left on Earth together with no further instruction - what happens then?
1. Chapter 1

Jackie's the first to walk back from the beach, her gait easier now that things are more settled and she can go home to the baby again. First born son and all that, she can't wait to get home where life doesn't involve watching her little girl cause all sorts of upset and Jackie can just be herself. She doesn't look for the Tardis returning because she never wants to see it again and while there's a problem hauling the phone out of her pocket, she knows that Pete'll be here soon as he can and her little boy will be able to grow up without worrying that the stars will go out.

She turns as she reaches the edge of the sand and looks back - Rose still standing with her hand clasped in His - and while He's not the first choice of boyfriend for her daughter, at least this one's a known identity. Better the devil you know and all that.

She shrugs before she sits down on one of the better covered rocks and waits. Sooner or later they'll have to get off the beach and then she'll have her say. She always does.

On the sand Rose is still shivering, her fingers clenching and flexing around his own and she can't quite believe he's here with her now. Here and also gone and she doesn't know how anyone's supposed to handle that kind of news. Her mouth tingles from the kiss she took and it was everything she wanted. It was everything she needed in that moment. Three years in the making and his lips felt so good against her own that she could scarcely breathe nor needed to do so. His taste's still in her mouth and he squeezes her fingers as she looks at nothing, at the space where He, (the other He) left her of his own accord this time.

"He just left," she says quietly and hears him inhale sharply at the comment.

"Doors were closing," he says. "Not much else he could do."

"But," she begins and it's all about 'but' right now. But he could have stayed. But he could have kissed her. But he could have said the words that he didn't. He could have said it because the man standing next to her could and did. She still can't quite believe that it's humanity that kept him standing here, that opened his mouth and said everything she'd hoped for. She isn't sure she can accept that the man she loves needed to be human before he could tell her what she's needed to know for so long.

The man next to her shrugs his shoulders but keeps her hand in his. "Well," he begins, "we could stand here a while, take in the setting sun and talk until the stars come up which, well, they will this time." He grins as he looks at her. "You did that, you know? You came all that way just to tell me that the stars were going out. Couldn't have done it without you. Not a chance."

She smiles, mostly because she can't help herself and because she did come to do just that. But it was Him she was looking for. Him she came to find because she made him a promise once, that she'd be with him forever and she thoroughly intended to make good on it.

But in the end it wasn't what He wanted because he's gone and left her with this copy who holds her hand and says all the right words. She saw his inception and knows this isn't a man borne of woman. This one sprang fully formed from the Doctor's consciousness and his right hand. In that respect he's every bit her Doctor and she feels that ownership deeply, aware that he's not the one who left for good. Aware that it was He who gave her the responsibility of making the one left behind a better man.

She glances skyward briefly before she can look back at him and nod. "Okay," she says and swallows back the sob. "I think we should go."

"Mhmm," he agrees and looks back down the beach to where Jackie's sitting. "We're going with her?"

"She's not bad, you know?" she says and then half laughs at that. "She likes you."

He hisses through his teeth briefly as he considers it. "I'm almost positive I'd be happier if she didn't. Well, if she wouldn't. I mean she's just..." He pauses and looks back at Rose again. "She's your mum. She can't be all bad. I mean she raised you."

Rose smiles. "You'll love her curry," she says. "You'll love all her cooking and you get the chance to eat it now."

"Yeah, how about that," says the Doctor and nods slowly as he walks, swinging her hand lightly as they move along the beach. "It's weird, don't you think?"

"Which part?" she asks. "The part where we saved the world or where you're Him," she says and takes a quick breath. "Except you're not, are you? Not really?"

"No," he says and frowns as he considers it. "I'm a little bit Donna too."

"What?" she laughs. "Is there anything else you're not telling me?"

"Nah," he says. "Part time lord, part human. The human part's weird."

"In what way?"

"One heart," he says and pats his chest lightly. "Feels weird."

"You'll get used to it," she says and hesitates on the beach before she turns back to him again. "You will, won't you? You won't just...I mean you're not traveling anymore. You don't have a Tardis. You don't..." She tilts her head as she watches him. "You don't have any of those things anymore. Aren't you going to miss it?"

He stops when she asks and glances toward Jackie before he can face Rose again. "Got you," he says simply enough. "Always wanted to try being human. Sort of did for a while but it wasn't quite the same cause I mostly wasn't me."

"And now you are?" she asks and he grins, tongue pushed against the back of his teeth before he looks at her and does something she's unused to. He leans down and presses his mouth against hers, his tongue brushing her bottom lip briefly before he straightens up again.

"Yeah," he says as he smiles and watches her taste it. "Very human."

"But still you," she says and when he nods this time she leans up on her toes and wraps her arms round his neck. When she closes her eyes she's ready for it, remembers the feeling and relishes the kiss he delivers. She's been through time and space and felt every last bit a part of a couple with Him and yet they never did this. They never stopped long enough for her to say the words in the first place. The adrenaline pumped seemingly constantly and while he hugged her, while he kissed her forehead and told her how brilliant she was, he never took her in his arms. He never loved her the way he's doing now.

She breaks the kiss before he does and looks up at his eyes. She's still unsure of herself and of him but wants so very much to believe. "And you're going to grow old at the same time as me?"

"Slightly older, I think," he says and shrugs as he holds her. "Older bloke if you can handle that."

"I can handle that," she says firmly and watches him. "How much..." She shakes her head. "But you're new. How can you be older."

"Sort of new," he says. "Sort of very old too. The heart thing's new. Have I mentioned that? Yeah, of course I have and it's still really weird."

"But you're human as well," she says and licks her lip as she watches him. "We've got a place, back in England. A big house there. Well it's Pete's really. His house but I live there too." She holds her breath before she lets it out again. "You could come back there with me, if you'd like."

"Oh I'd like that, Rose Tyler," he says and smiles when she lets that breath go. "You didn't really think I wouldn't?"

"I don't know." she says. "It's all very new, like you said."

"Oh yes," he says and smiles before he looks round at the beach and up toward the place Jackie's not so patiently waiting. "So how long until Pete shows then, hmm? He likely to be days about or-"

"I don't know," she admits. "We were working on this teleporter before all this happened. He could be hours. Or just, you know, minutes."

"Well if it's just minutes she could be home soon," he says. "All the way over there and we'd...I don't know. Do we go with them or do we stay here?"

"Why are you asking me?" she says. "Don't you know what you want to do?"

He just watches her when she says it and for the first time in a long while she feels the urge to blush. She clears her throat, ready to change the subject before Jackie thankfully gets to her feet and waves.

"Well don't just stand there," she says as she gestures. "Let's go."

Rose nods and turns back to the Doctor again. "D'you want to?"

"Oh yes," he says firmly and winks at her as he squeezes her fingers. "Come on, let's go have a look at Pete then. Has he got balder? Is that the word? More bald, that's probably it but then who wouldn't if they were married to your mother, eh?"

She listens as he talks and keeps pace with him over the beach. She's every bit conscious with every step that she's no longer the girl who stood here and she told Him that she loved Him and didn't get to hear it back. She's heard the words now, felt them and felt him and the man who holds her hand has no great emergency to run after. This one seems ready to try and live her life, one day at a time until there aren't any more left.

She's quiet when Pete offers to take them all back and when he grins at seeing the Doctor again, she can't help wanting to explain that he's not the same. That this isn't the real Doctor. She wants to explain that this one is a copy, a human time lord. This one doesn't have to go anywhere else. It hurts inside, knowing that she can't have Him, but this one remembers everything, feels everything and doesn't leave her standing on the beach. It's still not right but it's more than she's had before and she keeps hold of his hand as they teleport.

The Doctor rocks back slightly on his heels as they reappear. He looks down at her, his feet firmly on the floor again and he grins some. "That was different," he says. You've improved it."

"Had the top brains in the country working on it," says Rose and frowns as she looks up at him. "All that traveling you've done and a bit of teleporting makes you wobbly?"

"Just a bit," he says and nods. "So this is the place, is it? Same as last time but it sort of looks bigger now. On the inside."

"Should be used to that," she says and clears her throat when Jackie pauses, mid reunion herself, and addresses them both.

"There's plenty of guest rooms," she says pointedly as she looks at the Doctor. "Rose can show you where the towels are."

"Mum," begins Rose and Jackie huffs.

"Don't start with me," she says and looks back at the Doctor. "If he's going to stay here we're going to have some ground rules, starting with a name." She hefts the baby higher up against her shoulder. "What kind of name's The Doctor anyway?"

"John Smith?" he offers and shrugs when she stares.

"Oh very original," she says and shakes her head before she looks at Rose. "Dinner's at seven. We're not making concessions just because He shows up. If you're not down in time you'll go hungry. Goes for both of you."

They watch as she walks away and he tilts his head before he looks back at Rose. "And she likes me?"

"Give her time," Rose says and smiles up at him, all teeth and hope in the hall and he's still kept hold of her hand. "I can get you those towels."

"Towels, yeah. They're important," he says as he nods. "All I've been thinking about."

She laughs then, the sound unusual if only that she's the one laughing this time and he's the one grinning back at her. But it's happening and it's real and she tugs at his hand. "Come on," she says. "She'll only go spare if I forget."

"Well we wouldn't want that, would we?" he asks as he walks with her. "S'pose I'll have to get a job," he says. "What kind of job can I do? I mean obviously anything but I always thought about being a lollypop man. Do you still have those? Have they still got the little sticks?"

She shakes her head. "I thought you might want to work for Torchwood," she says as she walks up the stairs and looks back at him. "You don't have to decide now."

"Fine," he says and follows her along the hallway. "I wasn't kidding about this place. It really is bigger on the inside."

"You should feel right at home then," she says and smiles as he chuckles. He waits patiently as she opens one of the grand linen closets and only then does she drop his hand. Just long enough to fill his arms with soft fluffy towels that he presses against his face. She watches as he does it and remembers the few she found in the Tardis. None of those were washed in something soft and sweet smelling. None of those would ever be found stacked neatly but abandoned in the middle of something far more exciting. Domesticity could go hang when the world stood in the balance.

But right now she finds it fascinating that he holds them close and acts as though he's never enjoyed something as simple as linen before. She smiles when he looks up again. "You need some time alone?"

He scrunches the fabric in his hand before he reaches out for her own again. "If you like," he says. "Where am I then?"

She doesn't hesitate long before she nods down the hallway. "You can pick any one you like."

"Just like that?" he asks. "Jackie's not going to come storming down here and drag me out on my ear?"

"Well she might," says Rose. "She's not all bad, you know?"

"I know that," he says and smiles as he looks at her. "So. New room. New life. New me."

"Right," she says and walks quite innocently, intending to take him to one of the well kept and currently empty rooms along the hall. Pete's guests sometimes use them and occasionally her mum invites her friends to stay over and get drunk on cheap wine and cheaper movies.

But the door she opens is her own and for the first time she's conscious of its contents. She wonders what part of her personality it represents and more than that, what he'll make of seeing it. She steps away slightly as he stands in the doorway and looks round. It gives her a quick chance to check for stray underwear and she pushes a couple of bras under the bed before she turns back. He nods toward the clearly personal decor.

"Not an empty room," he says and she shakes her head. "Rose-"

"You don't have to, if you don't want to," she says quickly and she's not entirely sure just how much she's talking about here. "I can show you another room." She holds her breath before she tries again, conscious of the need to end all sentences now. "If you want to."

"Well," he says and then glances down before he winks at her. "I've got all these towels. Be silly to put them somewhere else."

She swallows as she walks back over to him again and reaches for them, setting them on the chair before she turns to him. Bare of everything but her heart, Rose offers up that hopeful smile again. "You can have them back if you want."

He takes a slow breath when she says it and reaches for her, sliding one arm firmly round her back to draw her in close. "There's no rush," he says, "we've got time now," and her laughter sounds shaky when she watches him.

"There's never enough," she says. "You've only been human a little while. There never seems to be enough time."

He just leans in closer when she says it, closing his eyes before she does. But she tilts her head up toward his own and relishes the way he seems to taste her, each lip in turn before his kiss deepens. His tongue touches the edge of her mouth and she hears instead of sees the door close. She's conscious of the click as it slides into place, sealing her off from the rest of the world and this time she's with him.

She slides her hand to the back of his neck, her fingers in his hair as he kisses her smile. "Why didn't you do that before?" she asks and he grins as he kisses her again.

"I'm doing it now," he points out and she nods, rubbing her nose against his own. She's conscious of that longing, of everything coming together in this one unbelievable moment. It weighs heavy with all the hours since she was last this close to him. In her head and in her heart, she's sure at least of this - they share a close past and now at last a potential future. This part right here, this journey she's taken from Bad Wolf Bay and the end of the world right back to her house belongs to the pair of them alone. He has no part of this.

She draws back from his kiss to look at him, licking over her lip as she does it and then offers a shaky smile. "So you're only partly human then?" He nods and she bites the edge of her lip. "Just your heart?"

He grins at that. "Well I wouldn't say just that," he says. "Would you?"

"I wouldn't know," she says and licks her lip again. "You do some things like humans but-"

He presses his mouth against her ear and smiles there. "Rose," he says. "I'm here with you, aren't I?"

"Yes, but-"

"Here in your room," he points out. "With you."

She blushes this time, overly aware of the want she feels, the need she has to know he won't be leaving this time. The very real fear that she'll be alone when she wakes up. "And you'll stay?" she asks quietly, relieved when he nods and yet it leaves her that much more desperate to believe it. She isn't really sure when she started crying, just that she's aware she has. She's grateful for the way he strokes her back as he holds her. "I thought we'd be in the Tardis," she says. "I thought we'd be saving the world."

"Is this really so much worse?" he asks and lifts his hand to her hair, stroking there slowly. "Living like this with me?"

"It's not worse," she says. "It's not what I thought I'd be doing."

"I know," he says and takes a slow breath as he looks down at her. "He wanted you safe, you know that." He strokes her hair and cups her jaw and tilts her head up toward him. "I want you safe."

"I didn't choose to be safe," she says. "I chose..." she pauses and looks at him, still searching for what she's looked for all this time. And he's right there, the same eyes, the same intensity and certainly the same mind working as he watches her. "I chose to be with the Doctor."

He half smiles. "And John Smith just isn't the same?"

She worries her lip. "I don't think it has to be," she says and takes a deep breath. "It's not just me who's different."

"I know that," he says and smiles some before he leans down and kisses the tip of her nose. "How long until dinner?"

"Don't know," she says. "I'm not hungry."

"You're mad then," he says and she raises her eyebrows just enough to make him grin again. "Something else we could be doing then?"

"Don't tease me," she says and sighs. "I waited so long to hear you say it," she points out. "I don't want to pretend any more."

"Good," he says and glances toward the bed before he looks back at her. "I want to spend the rest of my life with you, Rose. If you want to."

"You know I want to," she says hurriedly, but he nods when she says it and she catches her breath. "I've been waiting a long time."

"So have I," he says and picks her up, her legs wrapped round his hips as he carries her to the bed. She's conscious not just of the physical need she has for him, but of the desire for him to take charge of everything. He made her feel safe in the darkness, protected her above all others and now he's in her world. Her God is now all the more intimate for his humanity.

She's thought about a life with him and would be lying if she hadn't considered this. She dreamt of going to his bed and crawling beneath the blankets with Him. In her dreams He's more perfect than anyone could be. But she's wide awake now and the man in her bed isn't quite the one she's been dreaming of.

He does have the advantage of being here and of being real. So when he presses her against the bed, Rose can't help recording every last nuance of the act. She gasps when his body crushes hers to the mattress, her arms still round his neck as he kisses her harder. She arches her back, her hips pressed up against his own and there's such relief there in finding that in some ways he's very human indeed.

He draws back when she does it and glances down at where her belly's pressed to his own. "If you're going to say that's new," she begins, letting it trail off as he looks back at her face, grin very much evident.

"I wasn't," he says and shifts again, one hand pushed into her hair as he kisses her again. She's never been more hungry than when she offers up her mouth to him now and the clothes that tangle between them seem more irritating by the moment. She can feel the rub and roughness against her skin and pushes at his shoulders hard enough to break that kiss. He looks surprised when she does it but Rose isn't about to let this slip free and she reaches to unfasten his jacket.

He just stares when she opens those buttons, slow to react until her fingers press against his chest. Her hand lingers over his heart, just to feel the rising thump there. She doesn't know if it's the way she touches him or something else, but when she smiles it seems to trigger that release.

He strips his jacket quickly, losing it to the floor as he reaches for her own. She's no slow coach and reaches, her hand tangled in her jacket as she rids him of his shirt. Clothes land haphazardly on the floor as they're discarded, his shoe landing smack bang in the middle of her shirt. And when he's naked, Rose risks sliding her hands along his body, sensitive to the touch of his skin against her own.

He lets her do it, watching her as she takes her time reassuring herself that he's real. When she looks back up at him, he smiles and leans in to press his lips to her own. "You're not going to say something funny are you?" she asks and he grins against her mouth.

"Might," he says. "I'll try not to."

She wonders at that but then he's kissing her again, his hands on her skin and she's so very conscious of being wanted. She feels it right to her very bones and when his fingers slide against her thigh, Rose can't help the shiver that echoes through her skin. His mouth is warm when he kisses her neck and he rolls on the mattress, drawing her above him.

Her hair hangs down against his face and she marvels at the way he grins, at how he seems worked up over the way the strands brush his skin. "It's just hair," she says and he nods and lifts his fingers to touch.

"Brilliant," he murmurs and she laughs at him then, loud enough that he joins in. And when he leans up for her she kisses him back as hard as she can, her eyes closed and everyting poured into this connection. His arms slide round her and she can feel the heat of his skin everywhere, so thoroughly human in his loving.

And when he's inside her, she rocks with him, clinging to his body everywhere she can. His breath is hot on her flesh, but it's the closeness that burns, that makes her pant as they move together. She feels the power between them shift and goes with it willingly, even as he comes with a gasp and groan and crushes her to the bed.

He looked vulnerable in that moment and she blinks as she holds him, caught up in what she has here. But she's still on the edge, her skin sensitive all the way down to her toes and even as he seems to recover himself some, she's unwilling to let him go. But he does move all the same, sensitive to the moment and she catches her breath when his fingers press purposefully against her. She didn't quite believe he thought about that, that his mating rituals were as much a mystery to him as they are to her. But there's a dizziness that comes as she does and she catches her lip with her teeth as it washes over her. There's a happiness that comes with the act that surpasses everything that's gone before in the bedroom. Because this time it's him and he's the one making love to her.

And when it's over the sun seems to sleek its way through the room, and she feels she just can't help herself. She lies against him, half sprawled over his body as he eases with back against the pillow. He settles hand behind his head and the other stroking her hair and shoulder. She kisses his chest when he presses his lips to her hair and listens to the reassuring beat of his heart.

"What's it like?" she asks quietly, unaware of the dreamy quality of her voice.

"What's what like?" he asks and draws a few long strands through his fingers before he leans in again to kiss her hair and grins. "That?"

"No," she says and lifts her head to look at him, her fingers still pressed to his chest. "Well sort of," she says. "Was that the same for you?"

"Same as what?" he asks and she shrugs gently.

"Like before," she says. "Like...time lord...stuff."

He raises his eyebrows at that before he draws her up closer so he can kiss her mouth again. He sucks on her bottom lip before he draws back to look at her and offers a wry smile. "It was us," he says. "And you're special, Rose. You've always been special."

"But was it different?" she asks and he nods his head before he seems to consider.

"What time is it?"

"What?" she asks and turns her head toward the clock. "Nearly seven, why?"

"I'm just not feeling all that hungry right now," he says and she stares at him as he grins and draws her neatly under the covers. "And I think we better work out just how different it all is, don't you, Rose?"

--

Her skin tingles, she's sure of that. The sun's long since set but her skin still seems to burn and she can't and won't lose the smile she's finally found. Getting dressed was such sweet discomfort and even her clothes seem to touch her in intimate places. Everywhere he's touched feels as all the more sensitive and when she walks, it's a physical memory of what they've done.

She likes the way he holds her hand tightly, as though their connection's unbreakable now. And though she doesn't think she's quite taken in the reality of him being here not just now but forever, she's unwilling to let go of his hand either.

"I feel like we're sneaking around," she says as he pushes open the door and looks down the long and empty hallway.

"Sneaking from who?" he asks. "Your mother? Surprised everyone doesn't sneak away from her. That mouth..."

"Oi," she says. "That's my mum you're talking about."

"Exactly," he says and then shakes his head. "One thing I didn't bank on in coming here. The rest of my life with your mother."

She grins at him and leans up to kiss his cheek.

"What's that for?"

"The rest of your life," she says and shrugs. "It's good to hear it."

He grins and squeezes her hand. "Good to say it too. Come on, let's hit the kitchen. I'm starving."

She shows him the way, amused and thankful that while they've missed dinner Jackie's been good enough to plate up their portion. She watches him as he looks suspiciously at the cling film, but once it's off and they've set up at the table, she's surprised how familiar all this feels. He grins at her as he eats and when she giggles he offers up his share. "What?" he asks and she shrugs.

"This," she says. "Feels sort of right, doesn't it?"

"Very," he agrees and licks her fingers when she offers to feed him. "You remember that picnic we had on...ooh, where was it?"

"Reja Magnum," she says and he nods at her. "Would have been great if we weren't being hunted down."

"Mm," he says and grins at her. "It was good, though. Before the running. Well, even the running was pretty good. They didn't catch us and you remembered the cream cakes."

"Well of course," she says. "Couldn't leave those behind, could we?"

He leans in and kisses her and she relishes the freedom he has to do that now. He draws back slowly and she presses her hand against his cheek. "I still can't believe you're here."

He turns his head and kisses her palm, his lips soft against her skin. "I could pinch you," he offers and and she shakes her head. "You want me to convince you I'm really here?"

"How're you gonna do that?" she asks, relishing the kiss that comes in answer and food is forgotten in the promise of his embrace. She wraps her arms round his neck as he stands and draws her in close. Her toes press against the floor as she holds on tight and when the door opens they turn to look as one, unwilling to let go at all.

Jackie stands framed in the doorway and folds her arms at the spectacle, her very presence enough to make Rose blush. "We were just getting something to eat."

"Is that what you're calling it now?" she asks and stares at him. "If you think I'm going to give you another set of pajamas, you're very much wrong, Doctor."

"He doesn't need pajamas, mum," says Rose and looks up at him. "It's okay, we can go."

"No, it's all right," he says and keeps Rose's hand in his. "Your mum's just looking out for you."

"That's right," says Jackie. "And how long until he leaves again, that's what I want to know." She nods to him. "You weren't here to pick up the pieces last time. No, that was my job to hold her when she cried night after night. You went swanning off round the Universe while she was stuck here ."

"Mum-"

"You weren't there when her heart was breaking," she continues as he stands there and lets her vent. "How do I know whether you'll be here next week? Tomorrow?"

"Mum," says Rose again and shakes her head. "It doesn't matter. It wasn't him who did that."

"Yes it was," he says and keeps his gaze on Jackie. "I did all that. But I never meant to hurt her."

"Oh no," says Jackie. "You never mean to do anything wrong, but you do. People get hurt around you. They die because of you and now I'm supposed to just accept that you're living here in my house and I'm not supposed to say anything about it?" She shakes her head. "Not likely."

"Oh absolutely not," he says. "Because you need to have a say in everything, don't you, Jackie?"

"You're bloody right when it comes to my daughter," she says. "I was here for her and you, you went off with other girls and made their parents worry-"

"Mum," snaps Rose and looks between them. "I've made my choice, all right? This isn't helping."

Jackie stops staring at the Doctor and turns to her daughter. "I just don't want to see you hurt again. And he's trouble, Rose. He can't help it." She glances back at the tall man still holding her daughter's hand. "It follows him, like a rash."

He raises an eyebrow at that and looks down at Rose. "She's right, you know. I am."

"I know," she says and sighs as she looks up at him. "I didn't say yes without thinking about it. I'm not stupid. I'm not just some...ape."

"I know that," he says and watches her carefully. "But I can't promise it won't be dangerous."

"See?" asks Jackie and points a finger at him. "You promised me you'd keep my daughter safe and sound."

"And he has," says Rose as she grips his hand tighter still. "I'm here, mum. And I'm all right." She glances up at him and smiles. "I'm more than all right. I'm happy."

"Really?" he asks and she nods.

"Course I am," she says and he grins.

"Cause of me?" he asks and when she nods he leans down to kiss her again. She smiles against his mouth but Jackie clears her throat again and they look at her.

"I give up," she says and points at Rose. "You just think on what happened last time and you," she says and turns to him. "Don't you dare hurt my little girl."

"I won't," he says firmly and Rose does believe him even if she knows her mother has doubts. She believes he means it, even if she also knows no one can truly make that promise. But she believes him and that's enough right now. And when her mother walks out and leaves them alone Rose leans up on her tiptoes to press her mouth to his.

"She didn't mean all of it," she says and he frowns.

"Yes she did," he says. "And she was right. I took you away from her and I took you places that put you in danger. I didn't keep you safe, Rose. I couldn't keep you safe all the time. You got stuck here because of me." He frowns. "You nearly died because of me. More than once."

"I wanted to go with you," she insists. "I needed to. I wanted to see the world and you showed me everything."

"In the Tardis," he says and when she nods he smiles wistfully.

"Not just there," she says. "You showed me when we were just...just us."

He licks his lip before he grins. "We had some really good times, didn't we?"

"Yeah," she says and bites her lip. "We're going to have more, aren't we?"

"Rose," he says and tuts at her before he hugs her in close. "You really doubt that?"

"Not for a single second," she tells him and when the kissing stops he reaches for the nearest flat surface before he seems to recover himself. "What?" she asks. "You chicken?"

"Just don't want your mum to walk in," he says and she grins at that but there are more immediate needs than just kissing here now. She giggles when he opts to bring her back up the stairs again, sure that some of her happiest moments have been running with him and this is no exception.

This is the first time she's felt happiness is within reach and when he draws her inside the bedroom, she's quick to kick off her shoes and abandon herself to the moment. His hands slide in her hair as he presses her back against the wall and she doesn't care about anything but him. Sometimes in the past she believed He knew that, just as she hoped that He felt the same way. And buried beneath that was the knowledge that it couldn't really be true but now she's with John Smith and she's suddenly sure that she doesn't just have to hope any more.

He's never done anything half heartedly and it occurs to her that he probably doesn't know how. He isn't a man to do anything without wanting to and there's a reassurance in that which makes her heart pound in her chest. Her fingers slide against his skin when he kisses her and she can feel the tension rising between them. And since she knows that she has gone beyond the edge of the universe for Him, she thinks she's entirely entitled to indulge herself with him now.

Her hair tumbles against her back as he kisses her throat and Rose trembles at the sensation. It seems to make her shake and shiver right down to her toes and when he takes her to bed she doesn't hold back. She's loved him with all her heart since she realized how she felt but she was scared to say it. All that time with Him and she was scared to say it.

But time ran out, an irony she still doesn't appreciate, and she lost Him for more than two years. She lost Him from her whole world and when she found him again He died in front of her. She thought she was going to lose Him forever - He'd still be the Doctor but He wouldn't be her Doctor. And when it didn't happen, when something strange and wonderful took place her Doctor was split in two.

This side of Him, the human side, the one capable of living one day at a time, now belongs with her. And almost because she knows that the Earth can really shake, that it doesn't, that this remains personal for them makes it all the more real.

Her skin's soaked with sweat as she falls back against the covers and she listens to him breathing hard next to her. His hand finds hers under the tangle of sheets and she swears she feels his grin as he gets his breath back.

"We could have done that before," he says and she turns to look at him.

"We did."

"Nah, I mean way before," he says. "When we were traveling. We could have spent some time off duty," he says and chuckles when she leans over and kisses his mouth. "Or maybe you didn't want to then."

"You know I did," she says and worries her lip briefly before she stares at him. "You did know, didn't you?"

"Know what?" he asks and she swallows back the tears that still want to come. It's unfair that this still makes her so sensitive, but it's still so very tender to her and she can still hear Him ask if it needed to be said.

"That I love you," she says as she struggles to get past the lump in her throat. "You knew I did?"

He nods when she says that and strokes his fingers over her hair. "I knew," he says quietly and closes his eyes briefly before he looks at her again. "You knew how I felt."

"I wasn't sure," she admits. "You'd never say. And then you didn't say."

He sighs when she says it and reaches to pull her in close for a hug. She still clings tight when he holds her and he buries his face against her hair. There's such comfort in his embrace and she tries to find the strength to talk.

"I thought I'd die," she says as she presses her face to his skin. "Without you. I thought I'd die."

"But you didn't," he says as he strokes her arm. "You wouldn't do something like that, Rose. You're stronger than that and look what you did? You worked on that teleporter and you worked out how to save the world. Look at you, doing all that." He kisses her forehead when she looks up and grins again. "You're brilliant, every last bit of you."

"I just wanted to find you," she says. "I felt so lost without you."

"But you weren't," he says and settles back against the pillows. "You're never lost, Rose."

She sighs when he says it and then leans up to kiss his mouth. "I want you to stay with me."

"Here?" he asks and she bites her lip.

"Wherever," she says. "We could go traveling," she says. "There's places still need the Doctor, even here."

"We could do that," he says. "Could do anything, if you're with me."

"I will be," she promises and kisses him until she can feel sleep washing over her body. It's been a long day and a long life and if she knows she'll wake up early to make sure he's still here, she doesn't think it's too unreasonable.


	2. Chapter 2

The dining table is set for three, the occupants in place and breakfast has never looked more normal or seemed more distant to Rose. She watches from the hallway as she waits for him to finish his shower and in his absence finds herself considering how far she's come since she met him. Once upon a time she didn't know what she wanted. She lived each day as it came and expected very little out of tomorrow, save that it was the same as today.

That was before she met Him and her expectations changed radically. Every day was different. Every morning she woke and wondered what adventures lay ahead until eventually she couldn't join in with His day at all. And even then she couldn't go back, couldn't become what she once was. He changed her and from what He said, she changed Him as well.

Now she finds herself watching her mother, Pete and their little boy and she knows that it isn't the life she wants for herself. The greatest adventure, He said; living life one day at a time. Except that for Jackie that means settling down, living in this fabulous mansion knowing that tomorrow will hold no more surprises than today. It's not enough for her and she wonders if it will be enough for him. And she's afraid that just the knowledge that mendacity is possible will bore him enough that he'll find a way to leave her again.

She turns from the doorway and heads back up the stairs, rehearsing what she'll say to him before she reaches the bathroom. Even then she can't quite deny that there's some tiny part of herself that doesn't think it would be so terrible to live her life as her mother. Jackie is at least happy now.

Rose pushes the thought aside as she knocks quietly on the bathroom door and waits just a little before walking inside. Despite the heat of the past few nights she still can't quite get a handle on what's private and what's not, so she's still wary when she opens the door into the steam filled room.

She waves her hand through it and glances away briefly as he steps out the shower and reaches for a towel. It's not quite embarrassment she feels, but it's close and she has to find her level before she can look back at him again. It still seems strange to her, to look at the man wearing something other than a suit and she has to fight down the urge to blush when she looks at him.

"What's with the steam?" she asks and reaches out to flick a switch. "There's an extractor fan, you know?"

"Really?" he asks and steps forward to look at it. "Look at that. Fancy little thing that is." He turns back to her and grins before he leans in and kisses her mouth. "You fancy a turn in there? It's really good. It's got these little jets that pummel your spine. Brilliant."

"Had one earlier, remember?" she asks and risks looking at the bare skin of his body before she can meet his gaze again. "They're all having breakfast downstairs."

"Ah," he says and nods. "So we're joining them?"

"If you want," she says. "Thought you might want to take that trip today."

"Trip?" he asks and brushes a hand up and over his hair, causing the wet strands to stand up higher than usual. "Right, right. The trip. Over to Torchwood or that other place?"

"The other place," she suggests. "They could use some help there."

"Of course," he says and nods as he looks at her now. She still can't seem to keep her eyes on him for very long when he's naked, though that seems to go by the wayside when they're kissing. Though he does seem to notice something's awry and clears his throat. "Rose, are you okay?"

"Of course," she says quickly and risks meeting his eyes again. "It's all just...I'm not used to..." She stops, aware how stupid she sounds and tries again. "It's all just a bit domestic."

"What?" he asks. "This? Taking trips or-"

"You having a shower," she points out. "Swanning about in a towel."

"I'm not sure you can strictly call it swanning," he points out. "You'd have to have a bit more flare if you're going to swan. Besides, a man in his towel is fairly well covered, isn't he?"

"It's not men," she points out. "It's you. You're the one wearing it."

He hesitates and looks back down at her, clearly trying to gauge what the best path is here. "You don't like seeing me in a towel."

"It's not that."

"You prefer me without a towel?" he asks and she does blush then, unable to help herself. But when she looks at him he's grinning again and she feels foolish. He can still do that now, clearly; show her what's going on inside and make her feel her worries aren't worth the energy she's put into them. He's still here and if they're quibbling over nakedness then she's going to have to put her big girl pants on and deal with it.

She steps closer to him, puts her hands on his still damp neck and leans up to kiss his mouth. "I'm just getting used to knowing you do things like that," she says quietly and looks at his eyes, sure his soul is still on display there. "Normal things."

"I do a lot of normal things," he points out. "Always have done."

"Yeah, but normal for you isn't normal for everyone else," she points out and he nods at that before he reaches for the towel and draws it off to rub over his still wet hair. She glances down and can't quite hide the grin. "That's not helping."

"It's helping me," he points out and reaches over to push the door shut as she kisses him again. "We can always grab breakfast on the way."

--

The people gathered at the spot the child was last seen seem perfectly normal to Rose. They're concerned and they're frightened, but they're willing to accept that this man can help them just by knowing more than they do. They listen when he suggests things which outside of the extraordinary would seem insane. They do as he suggests and while there are no guarantees that this will ensure the child's return, their belief in him is strong.

She can understand that. She got that much even before she found the other part of herself wanting Him so completely. He inspires people to be better and she is no exception. Before she knew Him she had no goals beyond the petty ones that seem so distant to her now. Now she wants to be better and she's been given the assignment of making him better too.

A better man. Those were the explicit instructions He left her with. Her role is to make him better in whatever ways she can manage and if her love tangles and twists round that then she thinks she can be forgiven. Certainly the things they've been doing have seemed better to her. There's no question of what they want from each other physically or emotionally; that much seems to work increasingly well.

And now she's faced with the other side of him again, the one that has to make hard choices. The child may not be returned and these people in spite of their trust and belief in him may find themselves childless or dead themselves. His is a cruel love and while she's known that for some time, she still believes it's worth it.

This time, though, fortune smiles on these people. The child is discovered and while she's in shock, she's no worse off than many other children who go through far tougher ordeals. Rose smiles when the parents thank him, but it's the other thing she's interested in; how and what was done to resolve the situation.

She waits until the family drive away before she walks up to him again, linking her fingers with his own. "Did you talk to it then?" she asks and he turns from the trees back to Rose.

"Course I did," he says. "Talked it half to death, almost. Quite literally. But it's gone now. Agreed to leave the child and this planet and head for somewhere less densely populated by protective parents."

She nods at that and hears herself sigh in relief. "Well that's good then. They'll take better care of her now."

"Yeah," he says slowly and looks at her. "You didn't think I would."

"Would what?" she asks and shakes her head at him. "I didn't think anything."

"Yes you did. You thought I was going to do...oh Rose, that's just pretty rude, not believing in me like that." He pauses and then frowns at her. "You really didn't believe in me."

"I do," she insists. "I swear I do I just..." She swallows and looks back at him. "You killed the Daleks just like that and He said-"

"He said to take care," says the Doctor and tilts his head as he watches Rose. "I don't think I was wrong about that."

"I know," she says. "They were dangerous. If you'd left them they would have killed everyone."

"They would," he agrees and then sighs heavily before he sits down on the moss covered log next to them. "All those voices though, silenced in a single second when I did it." He shakes his head and looks back at her as she sits next to him. "I did that," he says. "Committed genocide just like that, just because someone wrote a prophecy."

"But the prophecy was right," she says and he shakes his head.

"Nah, it's just words," he says. "Just written. You can rewrite things, ones that aren't fixed anyway. You fix them and I did it because it was the easiest thing to do." He stares into the middle distance before he looks back at her again. "I did the easy thing, Rose. Not the right one."

She shivers at the words before she leans in and slides her hand against his shoulders. "But it's all right," she says. "Because you stopped millions being killed and now you're here."

"He was right," says the Doctor. "I am dangerous."

Rose swallows and keeps hold of him, aware of her own guilty neediness. "But the world's safe because of you."

"Doesn't make me less dangerous," he says. "Those people," he begins and sighs as he thinks about it. "They could have lost their child."

"But they didn't," she says. "You found the little girl and now they're all right again. Everybody wins this time, just like you said."

"I said I'd help them," he says. "I didn't know if I could."

"But you did," she insists. "You're trying."

"Showmanship," he says and shakes his head. "It's all just so much posturing, Rose. I could have saved her without endangering them. It just seemed the easiest thing to do."

His shoulders look low, she notices. His head doesn't hang but it's a close thing and she finds herself needing to comfort just so he doesn't collapse on her. She draws her arms round him closer and kisses the top of his head. His cheek presses against the coolness of her skin when he leans there and she isn't sure when it started to rain, or even if it's that which makes him wet.

"Well," she says as he leans there. "Now you know. You won't do that again."

"How do I know?" he asks and settles his fingers against her thigh, picking idly at the denim. "I should know everything."

"No one knows that, not even you," she says and feels his cheek move against her skin. "There," she points out. "made you smile."

"You do," he says and sits up again as he watches her. "You always do."

"Not always," she points out and he grins at that before he takes her in his arms again. And if she sighs in relief again then he doesn't acknowledge that he's noticed. There's no hesitation in his kiss, no sense of loss when his hands slide over her back and into her hair. This man may not be the perfect God she knew but it's almost more tolerable that he isn't. A God may not be questioned but this man is and can be. This man she can call out and she holds him back when he kisses her, answering his passion with her own.

She shakes her hair back when she comes up for air and looks at him carefully. "You know why it won't happen again?" she asks and he waits patiently for the answer. "Because I'm here," she says firmly. "Because I won't let you."

He watches her and it's a long wait before that grin hits his face again. Too long for comfort really but she's used to waiting and it's worth it. "You really think you have that much influence on me, Rose?"

"Yes," she says quickly and flushes when he laughs and nods at her. "I do, John."

He raises an eyebrow at the name but there's no hesitation in him when he takes another kiss. "You like that name then?"

"It sort of suits you," she says and sighs. "I've heard you use it before."

He licks his lip. "It's just a name though," he says. "Could use another one if you liked?"

"No," she says and shakes her head quickly. "I'm just getting used to John."

"Right," he says and draws out the piece of paper from his jacket pocket. Psychic paper, something he seemed to inherit along with a bunch of other things she hopes are real. "John Smith it is."

She smiles and folds her fingers with his own as she rests her head on his shoulder. "Let's go somewhere," she says and he kisses the top of her head. "Just don't feel like going back to the house."

"Thought you liked it there?"

"I do," she says. "But they're all just...family, you know? There's mum and Pete and little Tony. Sometimes I feel like I'm the crazy one for not wanting all of that."

He rubs his thumb over her shoulder. "So what do you want, Rose Tyler?"

"Just to be with you," she says and looks at him afterward. "Forever."

He smiles and kisses her again. "I love that you want to," he says, which isn't quite the same as saying she could. But it feels good to her right now and she revels in the moments they're sharing, just as she feels that intense relief that she hasn't lost him yet.

--

The little hotel is tucked neatly behind the woods and the landlady doesn't seem the most welcoming of sorts. Still, she keeps a tidy house and when they're escorted to the room at the top of the stairs she reminds them both firmly about the deposit. Rose tries to hide her grin behind his arm but she doesn't care too much if she's seen. It feels good to be with him now, to know that she's seen as part of a couple here and that the worst this woman thinks of them is that they might not make the bed in the morning.

Trouble is the very least of what she has when she's with him and she smiles when she catches him looking at the details. He weighs the little pot statue in his fingers and she clears her throat. "They've got them, three for a tenner in the market if you want one."

"They're all right," he says and looks back at her as she sits on the bed. "You stayed in a lot of these places?"

"Some," she says. "Used to get away from London, just a weekend."

"With Mickey?" he asks and she swings her legs some. "When?"

"A bit ago," she says and tilts her head. "Jealous?"

"Maybe," he says and watches her as he checks the view out of the window. "A lot?"

"A few times," she says and wonders if it makes her terrible to want him to be a little bit jealous here. God knows she's felt green eyed over the companions he's had in her absence. She knows a little bit about some of them. She knows that he didn't feel the same way about them that he does about her. But she does know that women throw themselves at him on a regular basis. She's seen that. She's felt the pain of that.

It's not the look of him, though she does find him handsome. It's the certain knowledge that this man knows not only who he is but what he needs to do to make the world better. This is a man who will sacrifice himself for others willingly. She's seen it for herself but she does wonder how many others know that side of him. Whoever they are, wherever they are, she envies every last one of them.

The last one was important enough that the whole universe stood on her decisions. More than that, it was Donna's touch that brought John Smith to life. Some of her personality seems to linger inside him. When she hears those fragments Rose wonders how different from her Doctor this man is.

He walks over and sets his hands either side of her on the mattress. "Brought him up here, did you?"

She grins. "You are jealous," she points out. "It wasn't that many times. And he's gone anyway. Went back to that other world."

"Yeah," he says and kisses her mouth slowly. "Ever bring him here?"

"I could ask you things like that, you know," she points out. "Ever bring anyone to this planet or that planet."

"Yes, but I wasn't, you know," he nods. "With them."

"What with them?" she asks and tilts her head as he leans in closer and presses his mouth against her ear and kisses there. "You weren't what with them?"

"Rose," he huffs and draws back to look at her again. "You know what."

"I like hearing it," she says and sighs as he leans back again and watches her. "You didn't say it for so long and now," she shrugs. "I just like it, that's all."

He nods at that and shrugs off his coat and jacket before he sits next to her. "All the time?"

"Can't see me getting bored of it," she says and he stares. "Really."

"Oh," he says and nods at that before he clears his throat and threads his fingers with hers. "Well that's pretty lucky when you come to think about it cause I'm not going anywhere without you. So long as you feel like that."

"Those your conditions?" she asks and he smiles some. "Cause I won't get bored, you know? Not of you."

"Even without the Tardis?"

"Without all of it, you're still you," she says and he hesitates when she says that. "You really are."

"But I'm not Him," he says and when she worries her lip he leans in and kisses it. "Everything else is the same."

"I know," she says and sniffs before she reaches for him. This time when she hugs him she's not sure which one of them she's protecting. She closes her eyes and concentrates on his scent, his closeness. His body still feels the same and if this is more than she expected she needs to know why it still isn't enough.

It makes her feel petty to think such things, an ungrateful wretch considering her good fortune. She's ashamed she has those feelings, but Rose is no fool and believes inside him he knows as well. She'd spare him the pain of knowing if she could but she can't help herself. And she wonders if He hurts as well. Because He has no one even if it was His choice. He still goes on alone and Rose makes love to John Smith instead.

Inside she wonders if there's any possibility that He'll come back again. Oh sure, He said that the worlds were being sealed off forever, but He said that before and He was wrong. He could be wrong again and she wonders how terrible it would be to prepare for that eventuality.

It doesn't belong here though and she holds him when he moves. Her fingers slide over his back and his hair and Rose swears she knows where every last freckle lies. She knows the shape of his neck without looking or the particular and delicate arch of his ears. She doesn't know whether it's possible to fall in love with someone and start with their ears but she admits it's a possibility. It was for her.

Now she's learning more about him and her toes rub against the backs of his calves. She sighs against his ear and feels his own breath on her skin, making it tingle wherever it touches. Her fingers play over the broad of his back as his pace quickens and she whispers his name as she becomes decadent in the afternoon sunshine.

Outside the rain starts to fall again, muffling the noises they make but they scarcely notice. Her hands are still on his skin and better yet, his are on her own. Such clever hands in so many ways but here he's focused on her and she sighs heavily as he presses her down against the sheets. Borrowed sheets in a borrowed room; what better for a couple who travel each and every day.

She smiles when he nuzzles in against her neck and whispers those words again. Secret and mostly silent because it's mostly just breath on her skin. She closes her eyes, feels it wash over her body and inside again. And all the time his heart beats hard against her chest. Just the one, the solitary beat against her own and she loves the tandem they create.

She takes a breath, prepared to settle down but his own drive seems relentless today. Not that she objects in the slightest and she wraps herself about him when he grins against her cheek. "You'll have the landlady after us."

"Not right now," he says and she laughs, happy in the moment.

It's what this is; a series of moments that make that all the difference in the long run. And so they indulge in one another, unconcerned with the world outside and the people who need them. Happiness comes in isolation when there is no outside world and hers is full only of him and his is believably only of her.

-

Their deposit is refunded much to the landlady's reluctance and when Rose unlocks the car she's sure that they won't return here. She doesn't want to go back on herself any more and though they won't be traveling in time and space the way they used to, there's no reason why they can't just travel now. She likes the idea and she knows from what he's said that it holds some appeal for him as well.

"Suppose you know what's going to happen next," she says and he shrugs.

"Some of it," he says as he looks round at the passing landscape. "D'you think people meant it all to look like this."

"It's just trees," she says. "Most of it's protected."

"Yes, but from what exactly," he says and she frowns at that before she looks round at the surrounding countryside. It just looks pretty to her, something very different from the city she was used to before she met Him. Now she sees adventures everywhere and it's clear that he sees it even when she does not.

"I thought we dealt with all that," she says. "With that child."

"Yes," he says slowly and then looks back at her. "How long d'you think some of these trees have been here?"

"I don't know. Aren't they hundreds of years old."

"Some of them," he says and puts his glasses on as he looks through the windshield. "And some of them aren't from here."

"Alien trees?" she asks and grins. "And no one's noticed."

"Might have noticed but they probably called it something else," he says and settles back in the seat as he thinks about it. "There's so much here that humans don't see. You give it different names, explain it away and ignore the danger."

"We don't ignore danger," she says and huffs as she drives. "We watch out for it. And now we have Torchwood."

"Torchwood," he says and shakes his head. "They don't know everything."

"They know some stuff though," she says and wonders why she's defending it all when she knew it was second best. She's worked for Torchwood, seen the good it can do and how most of its members try so hard to learn from alien technologies. But there's always the crazies in the team, always those who don't just want to learn and do terrible things. They aren't the majority but it doesn't matter. The Doctor knew that - John Smith knows that and she has to rethink a few priorities.

"So all right," she says as she watches the road. "What's the problem with the trees?"

"They're watching us," he says quietly and she frowns.

"Watching us?" she asks. "What, just like observing?"

"Sometimes," he says and she doesn't like the sound of that at all.

But underneath that thrill remains. There's a certain reassurance in his knowledge, that he's still very much the man she knew. This one still sees the odd in normal places and while she's afraid of what this might all mean, she reaches down and folds her hand over his.

"So what do we do now?"

"I don't know," he says and considers before he looks back at her again. "Can't do anything in a car, though."

"Right, cause it makes much more sense to deal with alien trees without the benefit of a bunch of metal round you," she says and he laughs as she pulls over. "You've got a plan though, right?"

"I just want to talk to them," he says and she raises an eyebrow. "That's all. Just talk to them."

"Find out what they want?"

"Something like that, yeah," he says. "They're not supposed to be here yet. In the future they'll apply to seed on this planet but right now they don't belong here." He frowns and looks back at her. "So we find out what's going on."

"Just like that?"

"Just like that," he grins. "Just like back in the old days."

"Yeah," she says and watches him as he walks toward the trees that don't look any different to her than any others in these woods. She does try to see but it's too hard for her. And she never understands that it's the trying that always matters so very much to him. It's one of the things that always set her apart from the others he's traveled with.

She listens when he talks and marvels at the strangeness before he steps back again, "Well?" she asks. "Are you sending them back?"

"Nah," he says and shakes his head. "Not this time."

"Really?" she asks. "You're just letting them stay?"

"They're not doing any harm right now," he says and she nods.

"Just...I was expecting you to send them away, like you said." She worries over her bottom lip. "cause they don't belong here yet."

"Well no," he says and shoves his hands in his pockets as he glances back. "But it's not fixed."

"Right," she says and nods. "So that's all right then?"

"Yep," he says. "Disappointed?"

"I didn't say that."

"No, but you looked it," he says and pauses before he leans in close and presses his mouth to her ear. "Wanted something a bit more exciting?"

"No, it's just..." She leans back and watches him. "You were all gung ho before. And now you're just saying it's all right. " She shrugs. "You're just leaving them?"

"Well..." He grin and holds his hand out. "I'm watching them, now. Everyone deserves a chance."

"But not a second one," she murmurs. "That's right, isn't it?"

"Right," he says and when she holds his hand he walks back along the road toward the car. He sighs as he looks at it and she bites her lip, aware that it's not his usual mode of transport. Aware also that he must miss it.

"Can you make another one?" she asks and he raises his eyebrows at her. "You said it was time lord technology."

"It is," he says. "You can't just build one though. I mean I'm brilliant and I can't just make one up just like that." He sighs and leans up against the car as she searches for her keys. "It's changed a bit since you were last in it."

"I did notice," she points out and then yelps as she feels the burning in her pocket. "Ow!"

He frowns and leans over, hauling out the key chain as she swipes at her jeans and looks at him. "Hello," he says slowly and looks at the glowing key. "You kept it."

"What?" she asks and stares. "That's the Tardis key."

"Yes, it is."

"Why's it glowing?"

"I don't know," he says and looks round before he turns back to her again. "It's not here any more. Not in this Universe." He frowns as he peers at the key. "Must be reacting to you thinking about it. Or me thinking about it."

"You said there was only one of them."

"Well yeah," he says thoughtfully. "I only ever needed one."

"Same as there's only one Doctor?" she asks and he rolls his eyes.

"Well yes, but that was different. That was..." he frowns at the key again and looks back at Rose. "Hang on."

"To what?" she asks and watches as he rummages round in his coat pockets and pulls out what looks to her like coral. It's an unusual colour and she tries to remember where she's seen it before. "Doctor, what's that?"

He lifts it carefully and watches as the key seems to lift toward it, almost magnetically charged. She bites down hard on her bottom lip as she watches the grin spread over his face. "It's a little piece of the Tardis."

"That?" she asks and shakes her head. "When did you get it?"

"Don't know," he begins and grins as he gestures to his coat. "He must have slipped it in my pocket before I left."

"And you didn't notice?" she says, eyebrow arched and he looks at her over the top of his glasses."

"I was distracted," he points out and chuckles when she blushes. "Just a little piece. Look at it. One tiny remnant from another world entirely."

"So," she says as she watches them together. "What happens now? Don't you need the tools?"

"Well if I was starting from fresh I would but this is different," he says and breathes out on the coral slowly, watching as it glows. "This is a part of an existing machine."

"And?"

"And it just needs a little tending to," he says. "And it can grow."

"Right," she says and then shakes her head. "Sorry, I'm not understanding here. You can grow your own Tardis? Just like a plant or something?"

"Yep," he says and grins as he looks up at her. "Shouldn't take all that long. Couple of weeks, maybe. Not sure. Never grown one myself before."

"Really?" she asks and then considers. "And it'll be just the same as the other one?"

"Well why not?" he asks and leans over and kisses her cheek. "Just think about it, Rose. Couple of weeks, you and me heading off wherever we please."

"You mean it?" she asks and when he nods she leans over and throws her arms round his neck to kiss him. She covers her face with kisses before she leans back and looks at him properly. "We can go anywhere we want?"

"Well in this universe, yes," he says and grins before he leans in and kisses her back. "You'd come, then?"

"Oh yes," she says and looks down at the coral again. "Does it need planting or something?"

"Just some space," he says and considers. "You think Pete'd mind if we used one of those rooms of his?"

"He never goes in any of them," she says and kisses him again. "And you'll take me with you?"

"Course," he says.

"Just me?"

He raises an eyebrow at her and grins as he steals another kiss. "Even let you press some of the buttons," he says and when she laughs he wraps his arms round her. "Course it'll need some touching up."

"Oi, saucy," she says and reaches down to touch the piece of coral with her fingertips. "And then we can go traveling again?"

He nods and kisses her, lingering against her bottom lip. "John Smith and Rose Tyler, exploring the universe." He winks at her. "Got something of a ring to it."

She nods at him and agrees entirely. Two weeks and she'll be able to do what she wanted. Almost exactly what she wanted. She clears her throat as she watches him sit in the passenger seat of the car, still fascinated with the key and the coral.

"So," she says. "Two weeks. What are we going to do until then?"

"Well," he huffs as he manages to look away from his newest project. "We'll just have to occupy ourselves, won't we?"

And that particular grin is distinct to this Doctor, she thinks. The shiver that accompanies it is all about him as well and she feels perfectly comfortable putting her foot down to get somewhere she can indulge it thoroughly.

-

She watches him run round, fascinated by his occupation with the Tardis. A new Tardis - the concept of which seems ironically alien to her. She's spent so long believing Him to be the only one of his kind, the last Time Lord in existence, that all things associated with Him were unique as well.

She already knows that's not true; her half human, half time lord lover is evidence of that. Every day she sees him. Every day she knows that he's here with her, staying for all time instead of waiting for her to die. And as a consequence of his being here, there are more normal things to deal with.

All except for the machine he's growing and the very strangeness of it and his understanding seem to make it all the more real to her. This is not just learning to live day by day, but watching him create something new. Watching Him, in a way and she walks through to the place he's busying himself and waits for him to look up and see her.

The grin pleases her. It always pleases her and when he walks across for his kiss she smiles back. "So what do you think?" he says and gestures. "I've been working on it. Well, I say working but it's mostly doing it itself. I've just been keeping things in check."

He settles his hand on her back and she raises an eyebrow at him. "I thought you were a genius."

"I am," he says reasonably. "So was Einstein but, well, you saw what happened to his hair. No one wants to have that on their conscience, do they?" He tugs at her hand. "Come on, take a look inside with me."

She walks with him but to her it's still a collection of growing organisms, none of which resemble much more than a badly conceived swamp set. He seems to know what he's talking about and she nods and admires when he gestures to this bit here or that bit there. There's a pride in him, an excitement that's infectious and while she hasn't the faintest clue what he means when he talks, she can feel its effects right down to her toes.

She does, however, make an effort to contribute. "So when it's all grown is it going to look like the other one?"

"Hmm?" he asks and shakes his head. "Oh no, no reason it should. This one should be fixed. I mean not broken. Well, I think it won't be. You can't tell until it works itself into shape, but I think...not absolutely sure but I think it should have it should have a fully functioning chameleon circuit so it could look like anything." He glances round. "Not sure if it can manage kitch though."

"Oi," she says and feels the way he bounces on his toes. "You can't wait, can you?"

"I can wait," he says and grins as he turns and looks at her. "I've never explored this universe. At least I don't think I have. Wasn't memorable if I did but then once upon a time I could go anywhere so that's a lot of stuff to think about and remember. We all could. We all did. Now there's just this universe here, but it's pretty big." He turns and hugs her tight. "It's gonna be brilliant, Rose."

She doesn't quite know what to say to that but she's sure that he's right. It's all going to change once they can travel, but she can't shake the thought that it might just be another shadow of what she once had. There's nothing perfect in this world or in any other, but it's pretty good.

She clears her throat when he bends down to tend to something else and wonders if she's lost him to his other great love already. "Just like old times, right?"

"Better," he says. "New times. All times," he says and stands up again, his fingers flexing in need of something. She'd really like to believe that it's her but she knows better. She always played second fiddle to the entire universe when she was with Him and some things haven't changed now. He wouldn't be Him if that was the case. But she wants John Smith to have other priorities. She wants to be his priority, no matter how selfish and she clears her throat when he reaches for her again.

"It's all just out there waiting for us, Rose," he says and kisses the corner of her mouth. "We can go anywhere and see anything."

"Just like that," she says. "We could change stuff."

"Yeah," he says. "When it needs changing. If it needs changing. I mean some things are absolute. Fixed points, like lines in a graph and you wouldn't want..." He stops and looks back at her. "What things?"

"I dunno. Just stuff," she says.

"Like?" he asks and when she flushes he brings her in close and holds her as he finds his serious expression. "What do you want to change, Rose?"

"The world?" she says jokingly. But she's not really and she knows it. Moreover he knows it too and she swallows hard. "I just don't know if it's going to be the same."

"It doesn't have to be," he points out. "Different's good, right? We can just try out new stuff, see if it works."

She flushes. "You mean in the Tardis or other places."

He grins. "Other places?" he asks. "Are you being rude?"

"Maybe," she says and watches him as he pulls his gaze back from the still growing machine. "If we go there, it'll be the whole world needing you again."

"Hmm, yes," he says and nods. "Like it used to be."

"Not just me wanting you," she says and he looks back when she says it and shakes his head hard. He lifts his hands to cup her cheeks and leans in close to kiss her. His lips are almost brutal against her own but the intensity's clear enough and she's breathless when he stands back some.

"Whatever happens," he says firmly, eyes dark as he watches her, "you and me are in it together now. Fact."

"Yeah, but things change, don't they?" she asks. "Stuff happens."

"I won't leave you," he says and she can feel the tears welling up. "Not this time. Not now. I won't, I promise."

"You can't make those promises," she says and really wishes she didn't sound so desperate. "I know you want to but you can't."

"I can," he insists and keeps his hands on your jaw. "Rose, I'm not Him. I've got one life and I'm spending it with you. I want to spend with you. I want to grow up, grow old, die with you."

"Can we talk less about the dying part," she says but she's crying and wishes she wasn't. "It's just here it's just the two of us. Out there...it's everyone."

He frowns when she says it and kisses her again. And when that isn't enough he draws her in close, long arms encircling her until she's crushed in against him, her tears dampening his shirt. He rests his chin against her head and when she closes her eyes she's conscious of the beat of his heart. It thumps steadily inside his chest. One beat, one heart and this one belongs to her. She's aware that the price of being loved is knowing that it can be lost and when it comes to him, it terrifies her.

When he speaks, it seems to reverberate through her body. "We could stay here," he says gently. "Not go."

"What?" she asks and pulls back to look at him. "But you want to. You've got to."

"Well," he says and shrugs slightly. "I don't have to. Don't have to do anything anymore. Except breathe. And eat and lord, if your mother's cooking isn't going to kill me then the universe's got no chance."

She can't help smiling, even though the tears won't stop coming. "But you've got to," she says to him. "This place needs someone like you."

"And I need you, Rose," he says and she catches her breath. It seems no matter how many times he says it, she never tires of hearing it. "I've done it all without you and it was less. A lot less."

"With the others?" she asks carefully. "Martha and Donna and..."

"Yes, thank you," he says. "Keeping records are you?"

"Some," she admits. "So you'd really give it up?"

He takes a deep breath and then nods. "Yeah," he says. "I could do that."

She nods at him and then leans up to kiss him, savouring the familiarity of that act. "I don't want you to."

"Oh," he says and nods. "Okay then."

"I don't want you to give it up," she says and he raises his eyebrows. "I want to go with you. Travel with you. I do. I just..." She shrugs. "I get nervous."

He half grins, pushing his tongue behind his teeth when she says it. "Can't resist me, huh?"

"Something like that," she says and sighs when he kisses her again. "But I want you to teach me this time."

He chuckles. "Teach you what?"

"Everything," she says breathlessly and leans up on her toes. "No holding back."

"I can promise you that," he says seriously and when she nods, he kisses her again, arms wrapped round, body crushed to hers and the promise of something new and yet known on the horizon.


End file.
